Flash Cure
Print method — one of 28 in the glossary
A brief burst of heat applied to a printed layer mid-run, setting it just enough that the next colour can be printed on top without smearing. Standard practice when laying colours over a white underbase. Each flash adds time to the run and heats the garment, which on some fabrics causes a visible sheen where the platen pressed.
Setting one layer so the next can go on
A flash is a brief burst of heat applied to a printed layer mid-run, usually from a panel over the press, setting the ink just enough to be printed on top of without smearing.
It is not a full cure. The garment still goes through the dryer at the end; the flash only gels the surface.
The standard use is over a white underbase, so the colours above it stay clean.
Every flash costs the run
A flash occupies a station on the press and adds seconds per garment, so a design with two flashes runs considerably slower than one with none.
It also heats the platen, and a hot platen changes how subsequent ink behaves, which is why shops use cooling stations on long runs.
Reducing flashes is one of the main reasons an experienced printer will suggest changing artwork.
Over-flashing
Too much heat at the flash stage cures the ink fully, and fully cured plastisol does not bond well to the next layer — so colours printed over it can peel away later.
On polyester, over-flashing also gives dye more time and heat to migrate, which is the usual cause of an underbase turning pink hours after printing.
The visible sign is a glossy, slightly hardened underbase rather than a matte, tacky one.
Common questions
- What is a flash cure?
- A brief burst of heat applied mid-run that sets a printed layer just enough to print on top of it without smearing. It is not a full cure — the garment is still cured properly at the end.
- Why do printers flash between colours?
- Mainly over a white underbase, so the colours above stay clean rather than mixing into wet ink underneath.
- What is over-flashing?
- Applying so much heat that the layer fully cures, which stops the next layer bonding to it. On polyester it also gives dye extra time to migrate into the ink.
Where this comes up
See also
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